Volta a Catalunya 2018, Schachmann takes stage 6!

Maximilian Schachmann (Quick Step Floors) takes the sprint over Diego Rubio (Burgos – BH) on Volta a Catalunya 2018 stage 6. The duo made of the German yougster and the Spaniard went clear with over 102 kilometers remaining and sitted in the lead for almost all of the stage lenght. They resisted to the group’s comeback in the last stages of today’s racing and within the last kilometers kept constant their advantage over the group into 20″. Sam Bennett (Bora-hansgrohe), who finished in third, missed the last occasion to win here in Catalunya. Matej Mohoric (Bahrain-Merida) finished in fourth whereas Roberto Ferrari (UAE Team Emirates) in fifth. Alejandro Valverde has protected his leadership with pretty much ease.

Last evening the weather reports were forecasting a hard day of snowing in Vielha and the organization set a B-plan for today’s racing. Yesterday it was just a rumour but this morning at 9:15 Spanish time ASO put in papers the stage’s shortening. In spite of starting from Vielha the start has been postponed to La Pobla de Segur and instead of 194 kilometers the stage has been reduce to a 117 km one. Light rain and a temperature closed to zero Celsius welcomed the riders at the start. Some of them attempted to warm up by trying to go clear but only at kilometrre 15 after the start two riders succeeded in oneping a sensible gap: they were Maximilian Schachmann and Diego Rubio.

The duo in the lead resisted to every kind of weather conditions and race situation in the back. In facts the race in the peloton has been very chaotic all over the time of racing. After having driven the group on the Port d’Ages, the only climb on today’s route, Mitchelton-Scott set a high pace on the descent and the group splitted into several packs. Part of the chasers came back to the main bunch but many of them, both due to the high speed in the front and to the echelons that affected the race from 30 to 22 kilometer to go, didn’t succeed in reeling in the first part of the peloton.

That’s why the main bunch was only made of about forty riders when it crossed the finish line. The reason why Schachmann and Rubio won the stage over a such selected but at the same time such fierce group? Because they deserved it. And because the chasers didn’t get the lesson of Settimana Coppi e Bartali 2018 stage 1: with so few kilometers of racing it’s not worth allowing the breakaway to open almost four minutes of gap because the leaders’ legs aren’t weak yet and their motivation to achieve the success is high.

Volta a Catalunya 2018 stage 6 Results

1 SCHACHMANN Maximilian Quick-Step Floors  2:34:25
2 RUBIO Diego Burgos-BH  ,,
3 BENNETT Sam BORA – hansgrohe  0:18
4 MOHORIC Matej Bahrain Merida Pro Cycling Team  ,,
5 FERRARI Roberto UAE-Team Emirates  ,,
6 SANZ Enrique Euskadi – Murias  ,,
7 BERNAL Egan Arley Team Sky  ,,
8 WYSS Danilo BMC Racing Team  ,,
9 ROJAS José Joaquín Movistar Team  ,,
10 JARRIER Benoit Fortuneo – Samsic  ,,

Volta a Catalunya 2018 General Classification

1 – VALVERDE Alejandro Movistar Team  24:56:48
2 – BERNAL Egan Arley Team Sky  + 0:16
3 – QUINTANA Nairo Movistar Team  + 0:26
4 – LATOUR Pierre AG2R La Mondiale  + 0:48
5 – YATES Simon Mitchelton-Scott  + 1:12
6 – SOLER Marc Movistar Team  + 1:18
7 – BENNETT George Team LottoNL-Jumbo  + 1:20
8 – CARTHY Hugh Team EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale  + 1:24
9 – MARTINEZ Daniel Felipe Team EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale  + 1:26
10 – HANSEN Jesper Astana Pro Team  + 1:28